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OA Nation reveals people live in constant pain

Four out of five people with osteoarthritis (OA) are living with constant pain or are limited in their scope to perform everyday tasks, according to an Arthritis Care report.

The research, conducted amongst people who had contacted the organisation for information, also revealed that over half the sample even struggle to get out of bed when their arthritis is bad.

A nation-sized problem

The 2004 report, titled OA Nation, is so-called because of the sheer scale of the OA problem, has been given official backing by MP for Kingswood, Roger Berry, Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Disability Group.

Arthritis Care estimates there are 8.5 million people living with OA in the UK and with an ageing population, this number is set to increase.

The report is the most comprehensive UK report of people with OA, with 1,762 people interviewed across the UK. The results are staggering and Arthritis Care is calling for a UK-wide strategy which incorporates agreed standards of care for arthritis and the inclusion of arthritis in the GP Contract (which currently makes no mention of arthritis).

Watch the OA Nation video

This 5 minute video features an overview of the issues and interviews with people who describe their experience of living with arthritis.